Badly Drawn Boy embarked on an emotional journey during his Manchester homecoming show at the city’s Stoller Hall.
Badly Drawn Boy, 53, lesser known as Damon Michael Gough, has never been one for a big production. As he took to the stage, of course wearing a trademark beanie hat, at the Manchester city centre venue it was just him, a couple of guitars, harmonicas and a keyboard. Sat on the keys was a little wool figure of Badly Drawn Boy giving fans double for their money.
Following support act Liam Frost, the humble headliner’s first exchange with the audience was one of slight nervous embarrassment. Badly Drawn Boy was somewhat taken aback to see a sold out crowd and he spoke openly of the pressure he felt wanting to do justice to his followers and the venue.
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That desire to deliver was heighted as the audience was packed with friends and family who have been by the artist’s side throughout his career. There were heartwarming cries of ‘go on, dad!’ which regularly came from the balcony during Thursday evening’s gig.
This encouragement, which clearly meant a lot to Badly Drawn Boy, was delivered by his grown up children Oscar and Edie. Badly Drawn Boy’s current run of shows are celebrating and commemorating the ups and downs of his 25-year music career.
To many, Gough is known for his Mercury Prize winning record The Hour of Bewilderbeast and the soundtrack to Hugh Grant’s 2002 film About a Boy. Although, as stated on Thursday night, the performer claims his career peaked when he provided the jingle to an advert for electronics shop Comet.
Before performing All Possibilities, Badly Drawn Boy dedicated it to TV and radio star Edith Bowman who provided the voiceover to the ad. This was met by laughing in the crowd with there being lots of humour during a Badly Drawn Boy gig.
By his own admission, he often ‘runs out of time’ from talking too much on stage. Although, it is an endearing charm his fans have come to expect. At one point, the show stopped as Gough told the stunning venue’s audience how the About a Boy producers wanted a soundtrack that sounded like Bob Dylan with the music icon being too expensive. So, Badly Drawn Boy was sent away to see what he could create.
He clearly didn't do a bad job as two decades later (yes, About a Boy really is over 20-years-old) those numbers from the soundtrack were still warmly received on a Manchester spring evening. Before renditions of songs Silent Sigh and Something to Talk About, Badly Drawn Boy, joked ‘I best get these out of the way’.
There’s modesty to Gough’s unassuming stage persona. It is also clear working class Manchester runs through the artist’s veins. Despite being born in Dunstable, later moving to our region, the north, and Manchester in particular, has Badly Drawn Boy’s heart.
He spoke with great passion about Whalley Range, Ardwick, Collyhurst and other Manchester suburbs which played a part in the singer-songwriter's early life. Being a retrospective, there were also emotional dedications during the intimate 25th anniversary concert.
Moments of reflection came as John Peel and Caroline Aherne received heartfelt tributes as did Mr Manchester Tony Wilson. Gough’s soft vocals declared the Factory Records innovator as the city’s ‘king with no crown’ as he performed Tony Wilson Said. Enthusiastically stating Wilson 'left more than a million footprints all over this town'.
The night’s tenderest moment was a dedication to the performer’s older brother Simon who sadly died 18-months-ago. Concluding a touching night, Gough told fans how his sibling got him into music and helped build confidence in the performer.
Badly Drawn Boy, whose parents were also looking down on the stage from the balcony, ended his set with a cover of Someday by The Strokes which was one of Si’s favourite songs.
Before taking his bow and leaving, the performer made sure to shake the hands of everyone in the front row at his homecoming gig. He then made the understated exit you’d expect.
Leaving the hall, many spoke of how much they are looking forward to seeing the Badly Drawn Boy 50th anniversary show. Perhaps at that point he'll have done the soundtrack to About a Grandad.
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